Wardrobe trunk



June 26,.1934. H. N. WILLIAMS 1,964,615

wARDRoBE TRUNK Filed July 6. 1935 o o K o Patented .une 26, 1,934

WARDRQBE TRUNK Herbert N. Williams, Fitchburg, Mass.

Application July 6, 1933, Serial No. 679,192

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a trunk of the type commonly known as a wardrobe trunk an for its main object the provision of a gen d has erally improved and more satisfactory trunk of this character.

Another object of the invention is the provision of such a trunk so designed and constructed that no parts of the trunk slide over the floor during the opening and closing movements of the trunk, so that the iloor will not be marred or scratched during such movements.

Still another object is the provision of such a trunk having means for supporting a closur e SBC- tion of the trunk in substantially horizontal posi- Vtion at an elevation materially above the level, and particularly of such supporting means so designed and constructed as to be simple and inexpensive.

To these and other ends the invention r esides in certain improvements and combinations oi' parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the speciiication.

In the drawing:

l trally through a trunk constructed in accor Fig. l is a vertical section substantially cendance with a preferred embodiment of the invention,

showing it in closed position;

Fig. 2 is a top view of the closed trunk shown in Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section through .the trunk showing it in open position, and

Fig. 4 is an end View of the parts shown in Fig. 3.

The same reference numerals throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

The trunk of the present invention comprises a main body section 10, sometimes referred to as a wardrobe section, and a closure section l1 pivotally connected thereto by hinges 12 which are arranged for swinging movement about a horizontal axis at a point materially above the floor Elevel or bottom of the section 10. The closure .section 11 has an end 13 forming part or" the top of the trunk when it is closed, and there is a second closure section 14 which forms the rest of v'the top of the trunk when being hinged to the upper edge of the body section.

closed, this section 14 body section 1.0 near the It is to be noted that no joints between sec- "l floor is obviated.

the bottom of the trunk there slide on the floor, and

g the When the trunk is to be opened from the closed position shown in Fig. 1, the second closure section 14 is thrown upwardly and backwardly, and the closure section 1l is swung outwardly and downwardly to the position illustrated in Fig. 3. 60 In this position, one end of the section 11 will beV maintained by the hinges 12 at an elevation ma.- terially above the oor level. The present invention provides additional means for holding the other end oi the closure section 11 at substantially the same elevation, so that this section will be maintained substantially horizontally in convenient position for packing or unpacking articles in this section of the trunk. This supplementary supporting means in the present instance is combined with and forms a part of the locking mechanism of the trunk.

For example, there may be a member 20 in the form of a metal strap or the like, hinged at 21 to the end 13 of the closure section 11. 7,5v This member 20 is of the proper length so that when it is turned down to the position shown in Fig. 3, it rests upon the floor and supports the closure section 11 in substantially horizontal position. When the trunk is closed as in Fig. l, the member 20 is swung on its hinge 21 to exe tend in an opposite direction, overlapping the section 14, Suitable locking means cooperates with the member V20 to hold it down substantially fiat against the members 13 and 14 and to hold the trunk locked until it is desired to unlock it. This locking means may comprise, for example,

a lock member 25 of any suitable known construction fixed to the member 20 near its free end and having a bolt or prongs interlocking with a suitable lock plate sunk into or otherwise mounted on the closure section 14.

To unlock the trunk, a suitable key is inserted through the keyhole 26 (Fig. 2) and the lock 25 is unlocked so that the member 20 may be turned 95 about its hinge 2l through approximately 130 to extend in an opposite direction. The sections 14 and 11 are then opened so that the latter assumes the position shown in Fig. 3.

The closure section l1 may have one or more 1.00 suitable compartments formed within it, as by 4 means of partitions 30 and 3l, for holding any desired articles, and a suitable flap or cover 32 may be provided for holding the articles within the compartments. Articles in these compart- 19.5 ments may be conveniently packed or unpacked, as the compartments are at a material elevation above the floor and a person does not have to stoop over inconveniently to reach them.

While one embodiment of the invention has been 1;'1'9

disclosed, it is to be understood that the inventive idea may be carried out in a number of ways. This application is therefore not to be limited to the precise details described, but is intended to cover all variations and modifications thereof falling within the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A wardrobe trunk comprising a main section, a closure section pivotally connected to said main section at a point materially above the bottom of the main section and extending upwardly from its pivotal connection when in closed position, and laterally outwardly from said pivotal connection when in open position, and a member movably connected to said closure section adjacent an end thereof remote from said pivotal connection, said member being arranged to overlie and be connected to another part of said trunk when said closure section is in closed position, and to extend downwardly from said closure section to form a supporting leg therefor, when said closure section is in said open position.

2. A wardrobe trunk comprising a main section, a closure section pivotally connected to said main section at a point materially above the bottom of the main section and extending upwardly from its pivotal connection when in closed position and laterally outwardly from said pivotal connection when i'n open position, a member pivoted to said closure section at a point materially spaced from the connection between said closure section and said main section, said member being capable of being swung to a position overlying a part of the trunk other than said closure section when said closure section is in closed position, and of being swung to a position extending downwardly from and acting as a supporting leg for said closure section when said closure section is in open position, and means for locking said member to said other section when said closure section is in closed position.

3. A wardrobe trunk comprising a main section, a closure section pivotally connected to said main lsection at a point materially above the bottom of the main section and extending upwardly from its pivotal connection when in closed position and laterally outwardly from said pivotal connection when in open position, a member pivoted to an end of said closure section remote from the pivotal connection of said closure section to said main section, and locking means cooperating with said member to hold said closure section in closed position, said member being movable to a position extending downwardly from and acting as a support for said closure section when said closure section is in open position.

HERBERT N. WILLIAMS. 

